HCCC reveals new brand, remolds image

Wednesday

Jan 15, 2014 at 5:19 PM

New font, deeper colors, a reworked seal and more prominence set on the college's place in the State University of New York system now will be the foundation of the Herkimer County Community College's image.

When Dr. Ann Marie Murray first became Herkimer County Community College's president five years ago, she said the passion and drive of the faculty, staff and students was evident.

But no one could clearly describe to her the image the college portrayed in interviews she did with staff members when she came to the position.

"I did not feel that we had a unified sense of where we were," she said.

But Wednesday, Murray and Tim Trainor of Trainor Associates and Trainor Digital presented a rebranding of the college that both said would clearly show members of the college — current, future and everyone in between — where the college stood in the realm of higher education.

New font, deeper colors, a reworked seal and more prominence set on the college's place in the State University of New York system now will be the foundation of the college's image.

Murray and Trainor said they hope the more than 3,000 redesigned web pages making up the main college website and the Herkimer Generals athletics site now reflect both the history and future of the college, making it a viable competitor with fellow SUNY schools as well as other higher education institutes.

A brand, Trainor said, is a living thing and was developed by living individuals involved with the college – surveys of faculty and staff to narrow down the ideals most important to them.

"We are a brand culture and we work on brand behavior," he said. "You will now have the envy of any education institution in the country."

After the presentation, Murray commented on the growing competition to attract the attention of potential students. Murray said if she was a parent looking through her perspective student's choice colleges, HCCC would stand out.

Though Wednesday's event gave the first glimpse of the college's image, there still is more to come. The new logos will be put onto new identification cards, literature and business cards. Even phrases so common to locals that call the college "H-triple-C" may change, Murray said.

"Do a Google search of HCCC," she said, noting that many other community colleges and even the Herkimer County Chamber of Commerce will come up in addition to the Herkimer college. "We may have to revisit that. We need to market ourselves differently."